Crown Liquor Saloon

The Crown Liquor Saloon on Great Victoria Street is the most spectacular Victorian pub in Ireland and one of the finest in the world. The exterior is covered in coloured tiles; inside, the gas-lit interior is a riot of carved wood, stained glass, mosaics, and ornate plasterwork. The private booths along one wall — each with its own gas light and a bell to summon service — are particularly fine.

The Crown is owned and preserved by the National Trust, which takes maintenance seriously. You can have a pint here in a setting that has changed almost nothing since the 1880s. The Guinness is good and the bar food is Ulster-style: sausage rolls, pies, and the essential Ulster Fry. Go in the early evening before the tourist crowds arrive.

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A story
The Crown was saved from demolition in the 1970s when the National Trust purchased it — one of only two pubs owned by the National Trust in the country. The owner, Patrick Flanagan, had decorated it as a monument to excess and ostentation at the height of the Victorian gin palace era, using craftsmen brought over from Italy. During the Troubles, the Crown was bombed twice; it was restored both times to its original state.